Nova Scotia will overcome, Canada will persevere

"But what we must not forget is that from one incident and generation to the next, we’ve also gotten past every single one of those dark times — because we are a resilient people. There is a toughness and determination that serves us well."

RCMP officers close the road off near the scene of one of the victims of a shooting spree in Debert, Nova Scotia. Steve McKinley/Toronto Star

I’ve driven through that intersection in Enfield more times than I could possibly count. For years, it was one of the many landmarks I’d pass on my late Friday night drive from the Halifax airport back to my home in Pictou County.

Truthfully, that route past the Irving gas station — a place to fill up, grab a bite to eat or a coffee to keep you awake — isn’t much different from the journeys of countless other Nova Scotians. And that’s precisely the point. It’s a spot on the map that’s just part of the everyday fabric of so many lives. That makes it all the more bewildering that only a few weeks ago it was the last stop on the most vicious murderous rampage our country has ever seen. That’s not us.

The news that day was gut-wrenching, and the shocking details that followed offered little comfort, justice or understanding. Nova Scotia families were left reeling and completely heartbroken. And now with the tragic loss of life in the Cyclone helicopter crash on a training mission far from our shores — with a crew hailing from Halifax-based HMCS Fredericton — communities only just down the road have been struck by yet another wave of pain, loss and tears.

The combination of all these tragedies has tested our resolve, battered our faith. It’s enough to crush the spirit of the hardiest of souls. In the last few weeks, Nova Scotia has lost teachers, nurses, parents, grandparents, firefighters and people in uniform whose life’s work was our protection — selfless citizens who, in the normal course of their days, put themselves in harm’s way to defend the freedoms that we all hold dear and too often take for granted. Yet the strength of character of our people and our communities is undaunted and unyielding.

It’s a community with one degree of separation between any two people, and where the impact is deeply personal. Out east, it’s our natural inclination to reach out, bring food, gather in the kitchen, play music and wrap our arms around those who are hurting — stranger or friend — and to give them our love and support.

So it’s a twisted kind of cruelty that, when we’re most compelled by these tragedies to be together and mourn, to share the weight of such raw agony, we’re forced to be apart.

Growing up in the rural part of our province, I saw early on how people bonded and pulled together in times of grief. It’s a collection of communities where neighbours are like family, where people leave their doors unlocked and their keys in their cars, where trust and goodwill is all around — and where demonstrating our affection for one another in times of loss is part of what defines our strength and our resolve.

Tragedy, hardship and devastating loss aren’t new to Nova Scotians. We’ve had more than our share. We faced the utter devastation of the Halifax explosion, the shock of mine disasters from Sydney Mines to Westray to Springhill and places in between, the destruction of the Swissair crash, and seen far too many young lives snuffed out in both world wars, the Battle of the Atlantic and Afghanistan.

But what we must not forget is that from one incident and generation to the next, we’ve also gotten past every single one of those dark times — because we are a resilient people. There is a toughness and determination that serves us well.

That’s an enduring, unshakable trait that’s inherent in Nova Scotians — and in fact, it’s one that’s shared by Canadians clear across the country.

Whether you’re a family in mourning in Shearwater, an oil field worker in Fort McMurray without a home or paycheque, or a daughter in Montreal separated from an elderly parent, it’s essential we all remember that we can — and we will — get past the enormous, daunting challenges we’re facing today.

Together we are one Canada, and we are at our greatest when we are standing shoulder-to-shoulder — united in our confidence in each other, in our shared strength, resilience and belief in the promise of a brighter future for us all. We will overcome this dark time, and there will be better days ahead. Because we are Canadians, because we have defeated incredible obstacles before, and because we will do so again.

Peter MacKay is a former Nova Scotia Member of Parliament, and the past minister of justice, defence and foreign affairs and the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency. He is a lawyer and candidate for the leadership of the Conservative Party of Canada.

The views, opinions and positions expressed by all iPolitics columnists and contributors are the author’s alone. They do not inherently or expressly reflect the views, opinions and/or positions of iPolitics.

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Peter MacKay is a former Nova Scotia Member of Parliament, and the past minister of justice, defence and foreign affairs and the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency. He is a lawyer and candidate for the leadership of the Conservative Party of Canada.